D. Martin's Blog: Adventures of a New Writer in Media Land

November 29, 2015

Hi, GR Blog Post & Readers!

It's been a while since I last entered writing/publishing updates. Time flies when you're creating worlds and promoting books.

I thought it might be worth noting on my media-footprint something positive this time. I was amazed and humbled to find out that my scifi romance novella, The Dark Places, received a nomination in The Third Annual Evernight's Readers' Choice Awards.

It's a nomination for Best in Category: Futuristic.

Final winners will be announced Dec. 7, 2015 and determined through votes.

Here's the link, if you're in the voting mood. You'll also discover other hot romance books and authors along the way, too. I promise:)

http://evernightpublishing.blogspot.c...

I'm sharing the Futuristic Category with 4 other very talented, wildly popular Evernight authors. I don't expect to squeak through the finals, but--wow! I'm amazed and totally honored to have The Dark Places nominated for a Best in Category! For me, it's an encouraging, tiny ripple in the great big book-market pond.

I'm ever so grateful to all the readers who nominated my book. Your encouragement means a lot to this humble, newbie author. Your nominations mean that my book must have touched your minds and hearts in some little way. This is the highest reward of all for a writer. Thank you again, dear readers.

D. Martin <3

This year has taught me that posting book release times are closely akin to determining delivery dates for newborns. Despite all the evidence and indicators, oftentimes an infant's arrival into the world has the element of surprise. Babies are tiny, inscrutable time lords manipulating their due dates in a manner that can confound the best delivery guess-estimates of experienced, seasoned physicians and midwives. The natural birth delivery process doesn't happen until all systems are 'go'-- and of course-- the baby's ready.

Book releases appear to operate in a unique Uncertainty Principle manner, too. My scifi adventure/romance is undergoing some finishing touches that have delayed the target date.

Hopefully, it will arrive when all conditions are just right. I'm also hoping for a fortuitous alignment of all the planets and stars when my book, A Navigator's Tale: The Arcane Map of West is released into the world.

D. Martin

I self-pubbed a 15,000 word science fiction novelette recently. You'll find The Grace Seeker listed on Goodreads if you're into speculative fiction.

I gained a deep understanding of what editors and writers have to go through to whip a book into final shape before publishing. It feels like bear-wrestling. Not that I've ever wrestled one--but it sure feels like it.

Now comes the job of gently pushing notice about the book out into the world. I guess I'll have to start viewing social media with more positivity now. Sigh. Look out world, one more ad for one more book is coming your way.

D. Martin

If you blinked, you probably missed my 3.24.14 book release on Amazon. It zipped by at warp speeds for barely 24 hrs in Amazon's digital book market. My fledgling book offering was taken down 3.25.14 when Entranced Publishing's new owner suddenly announced he didn't want to sell books. Naturally, I asked GR to remove my cover, since it belonged to EP.

So,I must have had the world's briefest book promo in the history of mankind. Or I must have weird timing. Anyway, I will seek a way to market A Navigator's Tale: The Arcane Map of West at another time. Hopefully soon, with a new cover.

My adventures in media-land for book promo so far has been a thumbs-down trek. I'm not convinced of it's usefulness for me yet.

Signed,
Day-tripper (literally)

March 24, 2014 is hours away and my stomach's been assaulted by a gazillion rampaging butterflies. It's an exciting fulcrum in time, because the culmination of a few years of my solitary work--combined with polishing touches of dedicated editors, publicists and cover artists will result in my book's public debut.

Of course, every writer wishes for big sales, but I'm keeping the anxiety under control by reminding myself of the primary reason I wrote my book. It was to give back to the community of writers and readers. Books have enhanced my life. I have a healthy appreciation now of what writers go through to produce a book. And now I'm adding my contribution to the book bank. I'm paying back.